Apparatus for holding and feeding typewriter ribbons



Feb. 27, 1934. H. T. MOSFELT AL APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND FEEDING TYPEWRITER RIBBONS Filed Sept. 11. 1931 3 1mm fi az'oki 41%7 llllllllll l Feb. 27, 1934. H, 'r. MOSFELT ET AL.

APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND FEEDING TYPEWRITER RIBBONS Filed Sept. 11, 1931 w ww w Feb. 27, 1934. H. 'r. MOSFELT ET AL APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND FEEDING TYPEWRITER RIBBONS 3' Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 11, 1931 Patented Feb. 27, 1934 NlTED STATES PATNT OFFICE "APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND FEEDING TYPEWRETER RIBBONS Chicago, 1111.

Application September 11, 1931 Serial No. 562,214

5 @laims.

Our present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for holding and feeding typewriter ribbons.

As will hereafter be seen our invention may 3 be used in addition to and in association with the regular ribbon provided upon typewriters, or may be substituted for the regular ribbon and its feeding mechanism. As will be further seen, our ribbon-holding and feeding device disposes the ribbon adjacent and in front of the portion of the platten upon which the typestrike and longitudinally of the platten throughout its length, whereby paper to receive the writing may be placed both in front of and behind the ribbon and the movement of the platten will bring under the type a fresh area of ribbon at each type stroke. Such an arrangement renders it desirable to feed the ribbon longitudinally only when the platen and its carriage are being moved to the go 'rightfor starting a new line or paragraph. The

above indicated arrangement permits the employment of a plurality of ribbons and presents problems peculiar to such an arrangement. For

I instance, in feeding a ribbon, if the plane of its path be changed other than at a right angle,

across the breadth of the ribbon will be destroyed unless suitable means are employed' for compensating the shortening of the length of the ribbon path from one edge to the other of the ribbon. Also it is highly desirable to provide a feed for the ribbon which will function when the platten carriage is returned for any part of its travel to the right, as paragraphing or indenting would otherwise result in eliminating the feed of the ribbon for the indented line.

It should also be pointed out that we have discovered that when a plurality of ribbons are wound upon the same ribbon spools each ribbon should be provided with independent take-up means as a little bit more of the overlaying ribbon or ribbons will be wound upon the receiving spool which will otherwise result in a slack in the underlaying ribbon or ribbons andpermit the underlaying ribbon or ribbons to be carried out of the printing line when the paper is fed through the machine.

It has been our object in providing means for the holding and feeding of typewriter ribbons to produce a structure of simplicity so that the same may be economically manufactured and sold at an attractive price, which structure will be sturdy and dependable in operation. As our structure permits of the employment of a plu- 65 rality of ribbons upon the same pair of spools the uniformity in the lengths of the ribbon path and changes the plane of the paths of these ribbons at an angle other than a right angle in order to bring the ribbon tangentially to the curvature of the platten, we have alsohad as objects the provision of means for maintaining the tension of the ribbon uniform transverse its width and the providing of independent takeups for the ribbons as they are being wound from spool to spool. We have also had as an object the provision of simple means for winding either spool during the movement of the platten carriage to the right.

We have attained the foregoing objects by means of the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a top plan of the structure embodying our invention, its relation to the platten of the typewriting machine in operative position being indicated.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the structure shownin Fig. 1 in operative relation with the platten of the typewriting machine;'

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 in which our mechanism is swung back for the inspection of paper in the machine.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental perspective detail of a modified ribbon guide; and

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are respectively end and side elevations and a bottom plan of same.

Similar reference characters have been employed for designating similar parts throughout the respective views.

Our device is designed to move concurrently with the platten carriage of the typewriter, and for employing the same as an attachment to a typewriter we provide brackets 10 to be rigidly secured at the top rear corners of the main typewriter frame and to extend upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. Extending between the outer ends of brackets 10 and rigidly secured in posi tion thereby is a rod or rail 11. Extending also between the brackets 10 is a'brace plate 12 on the rear edge of which is cut or otherwise provided a rack 13.

Supported by collars or journals 14 upon the rail 11 is a framework consisting of end plates 15 secured respectively to the journals 14 and connected by the longitudinal plates 16 and 17. Secured to the longitudinal plate 17 is a platform 18 having upturned longitudinal and end edgw 19, which, together with a cover 20, pivoted at 21 to the upturned end edges, as most clearly shown in Fig. 4, encloses and protects the ribbon spools and the mechanism immediately associated therewith.

Journaled in and extending from the plate '16 is a shaft 22 on the lower end of which, extending beyond the plate 16 is fixed a'gear 23 which meshes with the rack 13 when the mechanism is in operative relation with the platten. Pinned to the shaft 22 is a ratchet toothed drive clutch member 24. Aligning with the shaft 22 and journaled transversely of the plate 17 is a shaft 22a,

and pinned to the shaft 22a through a longitudinal slot therein, is a ratchet toothed driven clutch member 25 yieldingly held in co-operative relation with the drive clutch member by means of a spring 26. Fixed to the top of the shaft 22a above the platform 18 is a gear 22b and meshing therewith is a gear 220.

Secured to the upper face of the platform 18 by headed screw pins 2'7 is a plate 28 provided with elongated openings or slots through which the screw pins 2'7 pass in order to permit longitudinal movement of the plate 28 with respect to the platform 18 and gears 22b and 220. Secured in suitable apertures in the plate 28 are journals 29 in which rotate shafts 30 and 31, the shafts 30 and 31 extending somewhat below the journals 29 and the platform 18 which is apertured for that purpose so as to receive transverse pins 32 supporting washers 33 between which and the journals 29 are tensioning springs 34. Above the plate 28 upon the shafts 30 and 31 are mounted gears 35 and 36, respectively, which also constitute carriages for the ribbon spools 3'7 and 38. From the center and adjacent thereto of the gears 35 and 36 extend concentric and eccentric pins 39 and 39a, which are the usual means of securing typewriter ribbon spools in position.

At one end of the lower edge of the plate 28 is an arcuate recess 40. Entering the arcuate recess 40 is the arcuate or rounded end of a lever arm 41 which is pivoted to the platform 18, at 42, and provided with a spring 43 extending from a pin 44 on the lever arm to the opposite screw pin 27 heretofore mentioned. When the lever arm 41 is thrown to carry the spring43 off center it shifts the plate 28 and yieldingly causes the meshing of the gear 22b with the gear 35, or, if thrown in the opposite direction it causes the meshing of the gear 220 with the gear 36.

Secured to and extending forwardly from the front edge of the platform 18 are U-sectioned ribbon guides 45, the forward ends of which terminate obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the guides in order to bring the ribbon parallel with the portion of'the platten upon which the type strike. This causes a shortening of the path of travel of the ribbon progressively from the top to the bottom thereof, and to absorb and take up this transverse slack the outer flange 46 of the ribbon guide is cut back and the inner flange thereof is provided with a conical outward bend 47. The upper forward corner of the inner flange is extended as at 48 and the ribbon is passed thereunder so as to prevent any tendency of the ribbon to climb out of the channel in the ribbon guide. Pivoted to the outer flange of the ribbon guides 45 are a like pair of ribbon guides 49 which are secured together so as to move in unison by rod 50.

For holding the ribbon guides 45 and 49 to the platten shaft 51 and in proper relation with the platten we provide the latch arm 52, pivoted at 53, to the outer flange of the right hand ribbon guide 49.

A spring 54 extended between latch arm 52 an the platform 18 yieldingly presses the latch arm into engagement with the shaft 51a of the platten carriage of the typewriter when the ribbon guides 45 and 49 are brought into position to rest on the platten shaft at the opposite ends of the platten. The spring 54 also functions, when the latch is released and the ribbon guides are elevated, to swing the outer ribbon guides 49 downwardly so as to facilitate the insertion of the paper between the ribbons, as most clearly seen in Fig. 4.

When our machine is provided with plural pairs of ribbon guides, as illustrated, the ends of an ordinary standard ribbon are attached to one spool and the loop or bight at the center is attached to the other spool so that the two strips of ribbons thus provided may be respectively passed through the pairs of ribbon guides 45 and 49. The outside or overlaying ribbon will be disposed on the ribbon spools in convolutions of slightly greater diameter than the inside or underlaying ribbon which will cause a slight difference in the feeding of the two ribbons. To prevent this difference from accumulating so as to permit the feed of paper through the machine from carrying the underlaying ribbon out of the printing line we have provided the yielding take-ups now to be described. These take-ups consist of a plate or arm 55 pivoted at the center 56 to the platform 18. Laterally extending pins 57 extend from the opposite ends of the arm 55 and a spring 58 secured to one side of the arm 55 and the platform 18 holds the arm 55 and pins 57 yieldingly in a predetermined position.

In Fig. l we have illustrated at the right hand corner of the figure a guide roller 59 aligning with the ribbon guide 49 upon that side of the machine, which guide roller 59 serves to separate the inner and outer ribbons, the inner ribbon being passed around the pins 57 of thetake-up. On the left hand side of Fig. 1 we have shown a guide roller 60 located just above the inner one of the pair of ribbon guides 45, which serves to separate the ribbons on the left hand side of the machine and the outer or overlaying ribbon is then passed over and under the pins 57 of the take-up.

We prefer to make the tension upon the ribbon spools by means of a proper selection of the springs 34 heavier than the pull of the take-up springs 58 so that the take-ups are always operating at their maximum efficiency.

The modified form of ribbon guide, as shown in Figs. 5 to C inclusive, differs from the ribbon guides shown in the other figures in consisting of a single thickness'of metal instead of employing a piece of metal with a U-section. In Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive such a. single strip of metal is designated by the reference character A. A narrow flange B may be provided upon the top oi. the strip A for stiffening, but if the character of the metal is properly chosen, such a reinforcing flange may be unnecessary. The forward end of the strip is turned inwardly towards the center of the typewriter, as at C. The angle of this turn, with reference to the width of the ribbon path, is not of the same importance as it is in the other form of ribbon guides illustrated. The turned in portion C is slotted from the top downwardly and outwardly, as at D, and the portion E of the turned over end beyond the slot D is angled to bring the ribbon in desired relation with the platten. The angling of the slot D is to assist in preventing the ribbon from crawling out of the guide and in combination members 24 and 25, gears 22b or 220 and gears 35 and 36 the ribbon is fed longitudinally during any portion of the movement of the mechanism to the right but has no feeding movement during the movement of the carriage to the left when the printing is occurring.

It will also be seen that when the plane of the path of the ribbon changes at an angle other than a right angle, we have compensated for the transverse lengthening or shortening of the ribbon path by means of the conical bends 47 in the ribbon guide, and it will further be seen that we have provided for the unequal feed when a plurality of ribbons are fed between the same pair of ribbon spools by providing independent take-ups for each ribbon. v

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a typewriter having a longitudinally movable platten, ribbon holding and feeding mechanism comprising a carriage mounted to move concurrently with the platten, a rack fixedly mounted, a shaft journaled on saidcarriage, a gear fixed to said shaft and co-operating with said rack, a ratchet clutch the drive member whereof is actuated by said shaft, a gear actuated by the driven member of said clutch, a pair of gears spaced with respect to each other and movably mounted with respect to said carriage whereby they may be moved to bring each gear respectively in train with the gear associated with said driven clutch member, ribbonspools carried by said pair of gears and ribbon guides carried by and extending from said carriage into co-operative relation with the plat-.

ten of said typewriter.

2. In ribbon holding and feeding mechanism for manifolding. apparatus for typewriters between the ribbons whereof paper is inserted for manifolding in which the plane of the ribbon path changes at other than a angle, means for compensating the transverse change in the length of the path comprising a ribbon guide having a semi-cone shaped deflection of the ribbon path in said guide.

3. In ribbon holding and feeding mechanism for manifolding apparatus for typewriters between the ribbons whereof paper is inserted for manifolding in which the plane of the ribbon path changes at other than a 90 angle, means for compensating the transverse change in the length of the path comprising a ribbon guide defining a ribbon path having an angular transverse deflection from the plane of said path.

4. In combination with a typewriter having a longitudinally movable platten, a carriage mounted to move concurrently with said platten, a gear carried by. said carriage, a rack mounted fixedlywith respect to said main typewriter frame with which said gear co-acts, a plate longitudinally movable with respect to said carriage, a pair of. gears mounted thereon and means for bringing said gears one at a time into train with the movement of the gear co-operating with said rack comprising an arcuate headed lever co-operating with a recess in said plate and a spring passing through the pivot of said lever when the same is shifted from one operative position to the other.

5. In combination with a typewriter having a longitudinally movable platten, a carriage mounted to move concurrently with said platten,

a pair of ribbon guides fixedly secured to and extending from said carriage, a pair of ribbon guides pivoted to swing into and out of parallelism with said first mentioned ribbon guides, a latch for securing said ribbon guides in operative relation with said platten, a spring extending between said latch and carriage whereby the latch 

